The Duke's Seduction of Lady M Read online

  The mare was a gentle ride, not one as frisky as Darcy, but somehow she’d called to Mary when she’d heard she was up for sale. It would, she told herself, be company for Darcy now she was getting on in years.

  The sky was overcast, and if it had been any later in the year, Mary would have suspected snow on the way. However with a countrywoman’s knowledge she couldn’t smell incipient snow so suspected it was just the sort of day that made you want to stay indoors and read.

  She however had something better to do.

  It wasn’t far to the crossroads, two miles or so, and Mary knew she had time in hand. As she passed a long ride, which cut through the trees on one side of the road she was on, she gave in to temptation and turned along it. It was the perfect place to see how Sentia took to a less conventional route. She’d give the mare a chance to stretch her legs just for a hundred yards or so, before she retraced her steps and resumed her journey.

  Oh how the best-laid plans went awry.

  Mary had just slowed to turn around when disaster struck. Sentia missed her stride and tossed her head from side to side. Mary halted immediately and pondered her options. If something was amiss with the horse then she needed to get down. If she’d merely spooked at something – real or imaginary – Mary would have the devil of a job to remount.

  However she was sure the horse now limped, and she would take no chances. Mary dismounted and stroked the silky mane. ‘Now then,’ she crooned softly. ‘Let me see if I can find what’s amiss, shall we?”

  She bent down and took up one foreleg. The horse whickered softly but seemed happy enough to know Mary had her welfare in mind. The ‘what was amiss’ was easy to see. The horse had cast a shoe. She found that a few yards away.

  Mary cursed the fact that she hadn’t noticed the shoe was loose. Sentia had been at the farrier’s a few days earlier and he’d assured Mary all the shoes would last another few weeks. Evidently he’d been wrong.

  Damn. She’d be fine to lead to the blacksmith in the next village but that was several miles away and would take considerably more time than she had. Mary sighed. What on earth was she moaning about? The horse came first, and Brody would have to wait until she could explain what had happened.

  She thought rapidly. If she took the mare to the blacksmith in Welland she’d have to retrace her steps. If she went half a mile or so past Blissland she’d be able to use the blacksmith in the tiny hamlet of Bliss. If Brody had waited or gone on to Blissland then she’d surely meet up with him. If not, she could get a message to him or the Nivens to say what was going on, surely?

  ‘Well, Sentia, it’s a walk for us I’m afraid, but not too far and on nice grassy verges for you.’

  Mary wasn’t sure who she was trying to reassure, herself or the horse. However, as Sentia seemed content to amble on, it must be herself. Thank goodness for sensible footwear. She’d swithered whether to wear a new smart pair of riding boots but in the end had opted for an older, sturdier pair. Mary thanked whatever impulse had decided on that for her and began her long trek.

  Before long she was sweating under her riding habit. The day might be cloudy but that had also kept the temperature somewhat warmer than you would expect for the time of the year. She halted for a moment and checked Sentia had no heat in her hoof. All seemed fine. She couldn’t say the same for herself. Perspiration trickled down her neck and between her breasts. Proper behaviour be damned. Mary undid her jacket and wafted the neckline of her blouse. If she could have managed it, she would have used her chemise to wipe way that unpleasant dampness. As she couldn’t this was the next best thing.

  She began to walk again. How much further had she to go? She did a quick calculation, but it truly wasn’t easy to guess. Then she saw a bend in the river not too far ahead and remembered the crossroads where she was to meet Brody was perhaps half a mile further on. Mary clicked her tongue at Sentia who obediently quickened her pace.

  Please let him be there.

  ****

  Brody walked his horse in circles and looked at his fob watch for what seemed like the hundredth time. Where was she? It was almost an hour past the time they were due to meet.

  Surely she hadn’t changed her mind? She wouldn’t do that to him. A nasty itch slid down his spine and his skin prickled.

  She would not. Something was wrong.

  Brody shook his head and wheeled his mount around to face Blissland, and then back towards the direction of Welland. That itch had got him out of many a tight corner in the past and he’d learned not to ignore it.

  He sent his horse into a canter and headed along the road Mary would have to take from her house to Blissland.

  The further he rode the worse that itch became. Brody was worried, and encouraged the horse to move faster. As he rounded a bend he got ready to progress from a canter to a gallop and nearly fell off the horse as he saw Mary in front of him.

  Walking.

  He reined in his mount and slid off almost before the animal stopped moving. Uncaring what might happen, he dropped the reins and hoped Jason hadn’t forgotten what that meant.

  ‘Mary, love. What’s wrong, are you hurt, who did it, I’ll kill them. No one can hurt you, you’re mine.’ His word tumbled out so fast it was a wonder they made any sense. In truth he had no idea if she could understand him, because she burst into tears.

  Brody was appalled. Red hot rage filled him. He pulled her closer and ran his hands over her head and her shoulders before he hugged her tightly. ‘Please don’t cry. Tell me what I can do. Love, please, please, let me make it right. Who did it? What did they do? How dare anyone hurt you. God I love you Mary. What happened, I…’ he stopped abruptly as her mouth descended on his.

  She pressed herself against him, her breasts squashed into his jacket and her mound pushed against him.

  Brody stopped thinking and sank into the kiss. Mary uttered a strangled moan into his mouth and he ran his hands through her hair, scattering hairpins over the road and verge. One of the horses shifted and its bridled jangled. It brought him to his senses.

  Good lord they were practically making love on a public highway. It might not be a busy highway, but it would be their luck that the vicar would ride past. With regret Brody gentled the kiss and drew back. He fished in his jacket pocket and handed her a linen handkerchief.

  ‘Here, wipe your eyes, blow your nose and tell Uncle Brody all about it.’

  She sniffed, gave a watery giggle, and did as he asked. ‘I was scared you would have given up on me, and instead you said you love me. Do you mean it?’

  He smiled. ‘If worrying so much, wanting to kill anyone who does anything to upset you or hurt you, a need to protect you from anything and everything untoward is love, it seems I have it in abundance. Plus, I got the itch. The one that tells me something is wrong. Now do I need to polish up on my duelling skills? If so let’s go to Blissland first. There’s something else I’d like to polish up first.’ He winked in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere ‘That is my somewhat pathetic attempt at seduction for today. It seems being in love makes me at a loss for words.’ His heart danced. ‘Oh it’s so bloody good to say it, Mary. I love you. I’ll try to be more poetic, more verbal and more open, but it’s not easy. Not after so long denying my feelings. However, love, I’ll do my best.’

  She smiled. ‘Attempt away, Brody, I like it. Oh and fear not, no one to kill, or even maim. My horse cast a shoe and I had to walk from the ride that goes through the woods. I was panicking that you would have decided I had reneged and therefore you would have left for London.’

  ‘I wouldn’t do that without coming to say goodbye, even if you had left me waiting in vain.’ He kissed her again. ‘Plus, it’s now been put back until the next session. Hmm, I wonder why kissing you is so much better now I’m in love? And so addictive. Nevertheless, stop seducing me so I can think.’

  Mary gasped and punched his shoulder. ‘Ha. Seducing? I wouldn’t know how.’ She fluttered her eyelashes. ‘You’ll need to show me.
’

  He chuckled. ‘That will be our pleasure, I promise you, but now? We have a problem. We can double up on Jason’s back but you’ll have to sit astride in front of me. Can you do that? Like last time.’ The thought of that cock teasing ride was invigorating.

  She nodded. ‘Of course. Where to?’

  He took a deep breath. ‘I had thought if we rode to Blissland, we could find someone to come here for your horse, get her taken to the farrier in Bliss village and well, we can surely find some way to pass the time?’

  ‘I do believe there are some good books in the library.’ Mary bit her lip. ‘Or we could play cards. However, I need to tell you something about my life, and would like to do so before I lose my nerve.’

  ‘Your activities in the world of philanthropy?’

  Her mouth dropped open. ‘How do you know?’

  He shrugged. ‘I admired your husband for his good works, although at the time I had no chance to do anything similar. As his work still continues apace, I asked around in the right places and discovered his widow oversees most of the work.’

  She chuckled and punched his shoulder with enough force for him to wince.

  ‘You never said.’

  He shook his head. ‘No, for it was your secret and I understood why you kept quiet.’

  ‘Thank goodness. I felt bad about my deception but it would never do for it to get out. A woman understanding such things? Impossible. Therefore, I was used to saying nothing. I’m glad I don’t have to be on my guard with you any more.’

  ‘Never, after all a husband and wife should have no secrets between them.’ Would she see what he was trying to say? Brody chose not to press but tossed her up into the saddle, grasped the reins of her horse and vaulted up behind her.

  ‘My staff will be in the most enjoyable agony ever for this next mile or so,’ he remarked. ‘But it will be worth it.’

  Mary wriggled against him. ‘Good, for my body is eager to see if your cock remembers me.’

  ‘Oh it does, now stop it so we can get to Blissland and send a message to the farrier and to both our homes saying… saying…’

  ‘We’ll be late home?’

  ‘Definitely. Now let’s get a move on for I have something very important to ask you.’

  ‘Then onwards my love.’ She leaned back into him and sighed. ‘Although I am enjoying this sweet torture.’

  He pressed his arm around her and urged Jason into a canter. If she liked the torture of their bodies rubbing together, who was he to argue? A canter would increase the friction.

  Before many minutes they rode up to the entrance of Blissland. Brody gave thanks he’d asked the staff to stay around. Within a few minutes all was organised and he was able to lead Mary indoors and into their favourite – after their bedchamber – room of the house. The library with its shelves of dust free books and a comfortable chaise in front of the fire.

  ‘Downstairs? I thought we were going to seduce each other?’ she said as she let him help her out of her jacket.

  ‘We are,’ he assured her. ‘Very soon I hope. But first. Mary, my Mary, I love you. You are my world. It took the thought that you may be hurt in some way to make me understand that. But I do. Now all I have to do is persuade you to feel the same way.’

  ‘No persuading needed. I knew from the first. I love you and that was why it made it so much worse when you said you didn’t know what love was.’

  ‘I know now. So, can I ask you again, – with love, passion and friendship – if you’ll do me the honour of becoming my wife?’

  She cocked her head to one side and grinned. ‘I would tease but not with something so important as this. Asked and accepted. When?’

  ‘As soon as you like,’ he assured her with a twinkle and a kiss to her nose. ‘I’d say today if it were possible.’

  ‘I rather fancy a Christmas wedding,’ she said pensively. ‘Furs and a need to snuggle down together to keep warm.’

  He laughed. ‘I’ll keep you warm anyway, but a Christmas wedding it will be. I suppose I’d best get someone to start arranging it all. And let my mama know. She’ll need to be invited of course, although she is not my favourite person at the moment. She wrote to Henning, my factor, and demanded to know why he was no longer sending her weekly reports. I answered that. With a terse “as I am now home and recovered, as I previously intimated, you can rest assured there’s no need for you to be concerned with the daily running of the estate”. And I thanked her for all her hard work for when I was unable to be around. She didn’t reply, and in all honesty I didn’t think she would. She will moan about ungrateful sons and take her time to come round, or not. It is up to her. Whatever she thinks, it is now up to me to manage Welland and all that it involves. Including my life from now on.’

  ‘Nevertheless, I can’t help but worry about your mama’s attitude towards our forthcoming nuptials. A widow for your wife. What will she say?’ Mary asked in a worried voice. ‘One who might not be able to bear a child. After all, I didn’t before and… are you sure you want us to wed?’

  ‘Of course I do. You said yes, you can’t jilt me now. If we have no children then Bair or Euan will have to step up to the job. It would do them both good to start to learn more anyway, as I intend to settle one of the other estates on each of them. I fear Mama didn’t encourage them to be involved, but I intend to. As for her attitude?’ He shrugged. ‘She’ll come to terms with it, or not. But it will be the ideal time for her to move to the Dower house or one of the estates she favours elsewhere. It matters not. However, she will not be allowed to upset our happiness.’

  ‘You can’t do that to her. This is her home. Surely she has an affection for it?’

  He shrugged. ‘To be honest I don’t know. For some of it, certainly, but for other areas? I’m not so sure. I will offer her the opportunity to go if she wishes and if not, we’ll have a floor of the castle to ourselves, with very large “keep out” notices.’

  ‘That sounds perfect.’ Mary leaned against him and put her arms around his waist before she rested her cheek on his shoulder. ‘After all, let’s face it – if she gets overbearing, we do have two bolt holes close by to retreat to.’

  ‘So we do. And which one for our honeymoon? For I wouldn’t want to risk travelling too far at this time of the year.’

  ‘Why, this one of course.’ Mary stood on tiptoe and kissed his forehead. ‘Do you know? I have heard there is a new trend. Honeymooning before as well as after a wedding.’

  ‘There is?’ he replied, amused at her wide eyed ‘oh so serious ‘expression.

  ‘Well, if there isn’t there should be,’ Mary said. ‘After all, practice to make the wedding night perfect should surely be a prerequisite?’ She grinned. ‘And what a way to ensure all goes smoothly.’

  Brody grasped her bottom and pulled her so she could feel how his pego concurred with her. ‘I agree. Shall we start the practice now?’

  Mary wound her hands around his neck and he picked her up effortlessly.

  ‘I thought you’d never ask.’

  If you loved The Duke’s Seduction of Lady M, turn the page for an exclusive extract from The Rake’s Unveiling of Lady Belle, another deliciously irresistible Regency romance from Raven McAllan!

  Chapter One

  Northumberland

  Regency England

  Really, how pathetic to have been reduced to this sort of behaviour. Skulking around like a thief.

  Or a peeping Tom.

  At the advanced age of fifteen she shouldn’t still be able to climb trees like a hoyden or indeed if she could, she ought to reject the notion out of hand. Nevertheless, needs must. After all how else would she be able to stay out of sight and drool at the way Phillip, Lord Macpherson—the recipient of all her childhood hero worship and dreams—touched the young damsel he’d taken into the barn, and then into the hayloft of his ancestral estate? Thank goodness they hadn’t thought to close the doors where the hay would be tossed down from inside the loft to the ground.
That open aperture gave her the perfect view.

  Belinda shivered and went hot and cold, as she clung on to the swaying branch of the old oak tree at the edge of the meadow as if it was about to break. She stared at it dubiously, but any lower and she could well be seen. That really would be beyond the pale.

  It wasn’t solely the thought of being discovered that had her legs wrapped around the trunk and her arms the branch, but also the scenario that unfolded in front of her that had her transfixed.

  Luckily the man and woman whom she spied upon were oblivious to her presence. Indeed they were so wrapped up in each other, Belinda doubted they would notice her if she ran in front of them naked, waved madly, and shouted beware of the bull, or the hayloft is on fire.

  Not that she intended to. She needed to observe and learn.

  She let her body sag, just a little, to enable her to watch as the couple sank into the soft bed of hay.

  I hope a stalk goes where no stalk ever should.

  The long strands of hay embraced them and Belinda tilted her head and squinted to peruse better. Lord Phillip muttered something to his companion that Belinda couldn’t hear, as he proceeded to nibble the neck of the lady, who wriggled and squirmed.

  She’ll get marks on her gown if she’s not careful and how is she going to explain that away?

  Phillip made his nibbling way lower, downward from his companion’s neck and… Belinda blinked and opened her eyes in a hurry so as not to miss anything.

  Would he ever caress her, Belinda, like that? Bare her breasts and put his lips to her skin? Lift her skirts and move his hand upwards? Upwards to where? Her imagination ran riot. Surely not to those places she touched herself? Did a gentleman do such things? If he tried, would she let him succeed? The hay hid exactly what he did, and even if she hung down like a monkey in the Royal Menagerie she just couldn’t quite see what was going on. However… The lady’s skirts went high into the air and they covered his lordship’s head.

  Oh, my.

  For a brief moment Belinda allowed herself to imagine it was herself, not that beastly Lady Rosemary Minchin with Lord Phillip and she, not Rosemary, was letting him do all those things.